Acappella adds two with OC ties

The internationally-renowned Christian singing group Acappella has added two more members of the Oklahoma Christian University family.

Raymond Mobley, a 2008 family studies graduate, and Malcolm Himes, a student at OC, have joined the group and will begin touring later this month.

Mobley, a native of Midwest City, Okla., toured with Acappella in May and filled in for members Zac George and Anthony Lancaster at select events in California and Texas.

In 2007, he appeared on national television as one of the lead vocalists in Blake Shelton’s choir on NBC’s “Clash of the Choirs.” In 2008, he was a top-10 finalist in the Contemporary Music category of America’s Best New Talent competition.

He made his mark at Oklahoma Christian as a two-time Spring Sing host and as a member of Summer Singers and New Reign.

Himes also is a former member of New Reign, OC’s student acappella group. He also toured as a member of the Southwestern Christian College A Cappella Chorus before his transfer to OC.

A native of Houston, Texas, who was raised in Chattanooga, Tenn., he is a well-known worship leader at Christian conferences and congregations around the United States.

With the addition of Himes and Mobley, all of Acappella’s members are OC students or alumni. George studied Bible at Oklahoma Christian, Lancaster currently is a Bible major at OC, and Wes McKinzie is a 1998 radio/TV grad who now serves as OC’s director of editorial services.

Justin Elliott, Acappella’s road manager and sound engineer, is a computer engineering major at Oklahoma Christian. In total, 20 current or former OC students have served with the Acappella Company through the years.

Acappella’s next Oklahoma City-area concert will be in OC’s Hardeman Auditorium on Monday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 and will raise money for a local child who has a severe peanut allergy. Go to www.gp4sd.com/acappella for more info on the concert.

Acappella’s full concert schedule is available at www.facebook.com/acappella. The group is preparing for a series of special-event concerts in 2012 in celebration of Acappella Ministries’ 30th anniversary.